During a nice singaround at last years Whitby festival which I had he pleasure of running, I heard a Scottish gentleman sing a wistful song with the Chorus line not dissimilar to "Will ye come to the dancing with me Ann McElwey?" or possibly "Go to the dancing"

Dumbarton's the toun where I met Anne McKelvey She wis walkin her dug by the shore And we strayed there for oors as the evenin wis passin Then I followed her back tae her door

Chorus: Dae ye fancy a night at the dancin wi me? The band in the toun ha's the finest ye'll see And if there's no anither place ye'd raither be Will ye come tae the dance wi me Annie?

She said "I'd like tae come doun for a night at the dancing But ma mither she may not consent" So I left her that night wi a kiss on the doorstep And away back tae [x-x --- I've heard various bits of the Glasgow conurbation inserted here] I went

Chorus

She finally agreed tae a night at the dancin I went doun tae Clydebank by train And for three lonely oors did I wait on the platform But I never say Annie again

Chorus

O it's often I've walked by the banks o the Leven And watched as it flows tae the Clyde And I'ev thought o the oors spent wi Annie McKelvey The lassie wha wounded my pride

Iain Ingram wrote 'Annie McKelvie' in the early '80s, while living in Dunoon, Argyll and singing regularly at Dunoon Folk Club.

We formed the group 'Kilts 'n' Co-op Sandals' (Iain Ingram, Iain Williams, Alison Duncan, Malcolm Currie)to perform a production by the same name at the Fringe in 1984, featuring Iain's songs; a cassette of some of these(Kilts 'n Co-op Sandals: A Clydeside Folk Review of Original Songs by Iain Ingram)was produced later that year.

The first public performance Annie McKelvie (outside of Cowal!) was at the Marymass Festival in Irvine, in the Harbour Arts Centre. Iain has written a considerable number of songs, almost all his tunes are original, there are only one or two set to existing tunes (Miss McGill and Puddles. The group performed during Archie Fisher's 'Parade' series in 1985 (?)- one of the programmes was about the Fair holidays when thousands of folks travelled 'doon the watter' for their Summer break.

Some of his songs can be heard on the extremely rare copies of the above mentioned Kilts 'n' Co-op Sandals cassette, (Days o' Doon the Water, Dandelions and Daisies, Puddles, Behind the Factory Wall, Victoria Blue, Summer Romances, Speakeasy, A Bankie Lad, Dear Green Place, Vaudecille Dancer, Cowal Games, Can You See the Clown, Lappin's Rolls)

Hi Jack, I'll need to listen to Iain's singing again, but I am of the Beatles generation and don't remember ever noticing that connection before! I'll tell him to check out this forum himself - tho' lots of other people have picked up the song very few of them have ever heard the original, so they have adapted it, both words and music!!! For example the link from John McKenzie (immediately after your comment) shows a group singing a version that to my ear is a distant cousin of the one Iain wrote! - I can tell you exactly how the song moved out into the wide world - I sang an unaccompanied version in Jean Redpath's singing class at Stirling University probably in 1985 or 86; Chris Miles was visiting the class that day and picked the song up, sang it at lots of festivals that year - and from then on it spread! However - the way I sang it was not how Iain wrote / sings it (for a start I can't play guitar) so immediately there were changes in the style, tho' I am pretty sure my words and tune would have been accurate. I guess songs are like children, once they are out in the big world you can't control them any more!!! I know Iain thinks a lot about his tunes, making sure they are original - have you heard him singing his song? Not sure if I have the expertise to send it to you but maybe we can get to a session in Edinburgh some of these days?!

I've heard Alison Younger of Bryony and Strawhead connections sing this on many occasions, and she does a fine job with it. I may be wrong but I think she said she'd heard Willie Scott do it and maybe got it from him!!!! It must've been before 1989 if that's the case. Anyway, if you meet her(she's certainly at Whitby this year) sound her out!

The video is not unlike versions I've heard, and i think I recognise that bloke nearest the camera! There seem to be 2 different ways of singing the bit of the chorus "you'd rather be": some folk sing it in a downward scale, and others upwards!

Here's Iain's words as printed in his cd Words O Fiction - not sure where the 'dug' came from in an earlier listing! The One Singer, One Song (Ewan MacVicar) version is correct and how Iain used to sing the song way back when. Tattie Bogle, his tune goes up on 'you'd rather be'.

Dumbarton's the place Whaur Ah met Anne McKelvie Oot walking alang the Clyde shore Oh we blethered a while Till, as evening was falling, We walked the road back tae her door

chorus Dae ye fancy a night at the dancing wi me The band in the toon ha is the finest you'll see And if there's no anither place you' rather be Then come tae the dance wi me Annie

She said "Ah'd like a few days Tae think ower yer proposal Ma mither wid have tae consent" So we pairted that night Wi a kiss on the doorstep And back hame through Bowling Ah went

chorus

Oh she finally agreed Tae come oot wi me dancing And travel tae Clydebank by train On that cauld station platform for hours Ah waited But never seen Annie again

chorus

Now it's aft times A've walked By the banks o the Leven And followed her flow tae the Clyde And hae thocht o ma day spent wi Annie McKelvie The lassie wha wounded ma pride

chorus

In actual fact Iain's pronounces of many more of the words colloquially, eg 'raither' - I am also sure he used to sing 'took the road back tae her door' - but he is allowed over twenty-five or so years to alter the words of his own song! The song was based on an experience Iain had in 1966, with a girl he met at Balloch Folk Club - her name was not Annie McKelvie!!!! (I believe he has actually forgotten what she was called)

I think the song is popular in part because it is an experience that we have all had at some point in our lives - the tune is catchy and attractive, and I know Iain thinks of the song as being set in Edwardian times rather than the 60s!

I've not heard Alison Younger's version, will look out for it - Willie Scott did come to our summer school class one year, but I can't remember which or whether he heard me sing the song - as I said before Chris Miles became the source of it probably 1985 or maybe it was 1986 onwards. We have since even heard 'country' versions!!!

Hi Tattie Bogle, are you likely to be at Laurie's on Sunday for the visit of Sheila Stewart to the Ballads Club ? Or somewhere else our paths might cross in the next few weeks, and I'll sing it to you as Iain does (close as I can!) - or better still, drag Iain along and get him to do it!

Wondering if anyone can help? Recently attended the folk club in the Ettrick Bar in Dumbarton recently and everyone knew the words to a song Braes O' Appin and they played it. Does anyone know the lyrics to this song?

Hi Graeme, I think I have already answered your request for lyrics in another posting (on 3rd or 4th October? I see that you heard the song in a pub in Dumbarton so you are not too far away from Iain (the songwriter - or me for that matter) so one or both of us could meet you somewhere and sing you the tune, or you could even buy a cd!!!! Think Iain is away this week, maybe next, I'm off next week, so sometime towards end October. early November?

And sang it at Cullerlie this weekend: someone had asked for it on Friday night, and we all knew the chorus but not all the verse words. Thanks to t'internet we were able to fulfil the lady's request last nighti (but it does seem there are many versions of the chorus tune out there.....

Believe it or not, I met Annie McKelvie herself - though she's now married and has a different surname. She and her husband were sitting in at a session in the Wally Dug in Edinburgh, and someone sang the song. She then confessed that she was the same Annie McKelvie, and told us the story of going out with Iain (as far as I recall). There were several other witnesses who can corroborate.

I've known Iain for about 35 years, and have heard many of his stories which I won't repeat! I am quite sure that the aforementioned lady, maiden name McKelvie, was not the inspiration / stimulus for Iain's song!

(apart from anything else - the girl was not called Annie or McKelvie)

Many of Iain's songs begin with a small incident or remark - - but the song usually then takes its own direction, it is not the detailed story of that particular occurrence!

Some of the historical songs are accurate (e.g. Quintin Hill, A Bankie Lad, Ill Wind Frae Cumberland) or as accurate as Iain can make them from his researches; but like any writer he may then introduce a character who personalises the experiences -- without that character ever having been a real person!

A wee addendum I've heard some people sing after the final chorus: not sure that it would be in Iain's original words, but after "Then come tae the dance wi' me Annie", an extra line, "I'll wait at the dance for ye, Annie". I like it, rounds off the song nicely, but wondered if Gallus Moll would know?

Graham started off his folk career as a teenager at Dunoon Folk Club! He was already a piper, started as about a 15 year old attending the club - and getting a len' o' all sorts of instruments, anything he'd not tried before; he could knock a tune out of everything he picked up - - and once he met Billy MacGuire and his button box -- that was it. Iain lived in Dunoon for about 6-ish years early to mid '80s. He actually finished the Annie McKelvie composition in his caravan when on holiday at Loch Morlich (I think that's where he said!) and on his return absolutely wowed us at the club with the new song. I don't think Graham had a hand in the tune-writing but I shall ask them both and let you know! The late Iain Williams who played Lowden guitar along with Iain did some wonderful arrangements and harmonies for many of the songs. Lynn Shevitz O'Shay also did arranging for Iain, of the songs for our 1984 Fringe show Kilts 'n' Co-op Sandals.